Game of Thrones has contributed such a wide range of terrifying and vicious characters, that it's hard to imagine another show crafting just as many iconic villains as the Westeros adventure. House of the Dragon is hoping to continue this trend, but the initial series made some surprising choices with its antagonists.
There are a few choices made throughout the show, that might have been deemed villainous, but were justified for a full range of reasons. Whether they politically made sense, spoke to a wider ideology, or perhaps paid off in the end for the betterment of everyone, these choices at the very least had some kind of reason to back them up.
Melisandre's Worship
Melisandre has made some disturbing choices in her bid to worship the Lord of Light. While many of those horrific moves should never have happened, she was painted as a villain for merely trying to serve this god in the first place. There might have been some substance to that though.
The Lord of Light is a real entity in some form, considering he grants Melisandre incredible powers. Burning people alive and trying to take the blood of a king are awful crimes, but the very notion that there might be a deity to save Westeros from the Night King is pretty reasonable in this context. Melisandre shouldn't be vilified for the choice to serve such a being, but she should have done so in a more just way.
Cersei Lannister's Refusal To Help Fight The Night King
Cersei Lannister was faced with a very specific choice; whether to help Jon Snow in his quest to battle against the Night King, or allow her enemies to be vanquished in that battle. Her very first decision on the matter sees her turn her back on the alliance put together to face the oncoming Winter.
While she may decide to change her mind, that initial choice wasn't too villainous. It's plausible that she could have felt the threat was overestimated by opportunists and that she wanted to protect her people from this kind of battle immediately. Other leaders may have made similar choices to wait it out and see if those rebellious areas of the kingdom deal with the threat themselves.
Varys' Manipulations
Varys spent the majority of his time in King's Landing manipulating events from behind the scenes. He was treated like a villain, constantly becoming a catalyst for danger and death and holding on to the kind of knowledge that might have saved heroes like Ned Stark.
But his choice to serve the throne, no matter who sat on it, wasn't necessarily an antagonistic or self-serving one. Varys felt that he could use his network as the Master of Whisperers and his abilities to better the kingdom itself. He didn't serve the monarch but instead the people. That in itself is admirable, even if the choices within that were unsavory.
The Hound Takes On Brienne
The Hound built a strange relationship with Arya Stark, both despising her and holding her captive, while also guiding the young wolf and acting like a fatherly figure in some respects. His decision to fight Brienne of Tarth over Arya was deemed to be a villainous one.
After all, the Hound did so to benefit himself. But there was an aspect of the warrior who had grown fond of Arya and wanted to protect her. There was no trusting Brienne in his eyes, which is why he took up the blade to stop her from taking the Stark child.
Littlefinger's Grasp On The Eyrie
Littlefinger is the most distrusted member of the royal court in Westeros. His motivations are always self-interested and within that he made a claim for the Eyrie. He refused to remove his grip on House Arryn, even murdering to get what he desired.
But he also used the house to back up the Starks; another tactical move to boost his power. It might all seem egocentric and villainous, but part of Littlefinger's plan was to use the Eyrie to boost those allies that needed it. The forces of Arryn were being completely wasted and there is a justification for trying to guide the young Robin to the more prosperous ground alongside the North.
Jaime Lannister's Murder Of Aerys II
Jamie Lannister was a bit of an anti-hero by the time Game of Thrones concluded, although there is still some debate over whether he should be considered a villain or not. Regardless, it was deemed antagonistic by most in the land that he killed King Aerys.
For some, they branded him Kingslayer, suggesting he did so for his political benefit. However, audiences know the truth, that Aerys was mad and that someone needed to stop the tyrant for good. Of all the murders in Westeros history, this is one of the most justified.
Roose Bolton Keeping Ramsay Away
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Roose Bolton is a truly despicable man who would stop at nothing to garner further power and respect. He betrayed House Stark and allowed his son to run roughshod. On the surface, it looks as if Roose wanted to give Ramsay his own responsibilities and that's why he let him go out on his own.
That's not completely true though. The motivation behind giving Ramsay some kind of freedom might be more based on the fact that he wanted his son as far away from him as possible. Ramsay would prove to be Roose's downfall, so the decision to move him away is fairly justified.
Balon Greyjoy's Power Grab
Balon Greyjoy was a major antagonist in the War of the Five Kings. He was partially responsible for tearing down Winterfell and even chose to abandon his son, Theon Greyjoy when he had been captured by the Boltons. There's some justification for his rebellion though.
Balon was the man who had previously revolted against the crown. With everyone else staking their claim, the Iron Islands should have that opportunity too. Balon wasn't responsible for some on-the-ground moves of his son Theon, who made the sacking of Winterfell far worse. But from a political perspective, Balon Greyjoy choosing to sit atop his own throne was a fair enough move for his people.
Daenerys Targaryen's Conquests
Daenerys Targaryen's actions have been analyzed very strongly since her final fate and many audiences point to her always being a bloodthirsty conqueror who was built on fire and destruction. That's partially true and through that lens, it's easy to vilify many of her actions.
But some of the choices she made outside of Westeros, as Queen, were justified. The violence she used to overthrow kingdoms was directed at those who supported and used slavery. There were innocents involved in her campaign and that should never be overlooked, but her motivations were to try and free those who had been stepped on for so long.
Tywin Lannister Sitting On The Throne
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Tywin Lannister always had ambitions for the throne. He wanted his family to hold on to power long after he had passed away. His choice to sit on the Iron Throne itself was one supposedly motivated by a desire to be king, even for a short period of time.
It may have been selfish, but it was also smart. Tywin Lannister understood that he might have been able to keep the peace in a way Joffrey could not. He was not as cruel, nor was he led by some of the same ideologies as Cersei. Somehow, out of the family, he was the justified choice.
Source:gamerant.com